Life in the west: Red Dead Redemption
by SuchaCarelessWhisper
Summary: What is one man to do when his family is suddenly put into danger, how could he possibly cope from the loss of a loved one? John Marston is the only man in charge of his own fate; story rating will change in future chapters. The story takes place towards the end of the game and there will be several character appearances
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the making of this story

Bonnie can't help but feel awful, feel broken for the man before her. John's wife has been shot and she's recovering the best she can in Armadillo. John has no one else to turn to but Bonnie; the young rancher sits John down on the couch in her family room and takes his hat from his tight fingers. She looks down at the damaged man and sets his hat on the table before her, trying to figure out what to do and how to comfort a man in his kind of situation.

He is very quiet and it worries Bonnie even more to the point of her exiting the room. She can't seem to figure it out though, who would want John Marston's wife dead and what in the world has John done to deserve this?

Her father doesn't understand just the same and it rattles him. "Bonnie, now I know Mr. Marston is in a very bad place right now, but I want you to take caution of him, a man ain't himself when his family is in danger and I know," Drew warns Bonnie quietly in the center of the kitchen. Bonnie gives him a questionable look but she takes her father's words to heart. She's witnessed the stress and the awful heartache her father's been through over the years and she believes John must be feeling the same way.

"Of course father," Bonnie acknowledges Drew and steps out of the kitchen, returning to John. As much as Drew admires Mr. Marston, he only wishes he had a good way of keeping Bonnie away from him, he's still a married man and he's not sure if John would be a good suitor for his only daughter anywho.

Bonnie enters the family room again and finds John sitting in the same spot on the couch; eyes down and fingers tight on his pants. "Mr. Marston, may I ask if you have any idea of who in the world would do this to your wife?" the young woman asks carefully, sitting down beside the man, looking in his direction. The only sound she hears coming from John is his soft, ragged breathing, she's said too much.

Bonnie licks her chapped lips and stands up, brushing off the front of her blouse and she turns to leave the room another time but John stands up taller than her and she's caught by surprise.

"I don't know Miss but whoever the hell it was ain't goin' to see the light of tomorrow," he's angry, hurt and dangerous but Bonnie doesn't back too far away, he needs the support of a good friend. John picks up his hat from the table and walks on by Bonnie without another word. Drew calls out his name but it doesn't stop him from leaving the house. The young rancher attempts to go after him but Drew takes her by the shoulder;

"Bonnie, let 'em go, you did all you can do," her father tells her softly and she turns to face him before walking the opposite way. Drew knows his daughter adores that bounty hunter, possibly more than he'd like to know and he's afraid she would get hurt either from the folk she could run into or by the hands of Mr. Marston himself and neither one of those would sit well in his aching stomach. He calls out after her but she doesn't acknowledge him; he hears the back door slam shut and that's that. He's got himself a suicidal daughter. Drew leaves the front door in a hurry and finds Bonnie hurrying towards the supply shack.

"Bonnie!" Drew cries out her name but she pretends she can't hear a thing, entering the shack only to come back out and storm onwards. The older man comes at his daughter and manages to grab a hold of her arm but she fights. "Pa', get off me, John needs me pa', he needs me!" she repeats herself several times until she gives up struggling and drops to her knees, sobbing quietly.

A few ranch hands have taken notice of the two but continue on with their day. "Oh Bonnie, you gotta' give this up, he's got a family, there is no doubt in my mind that he is grateful for all that you have done but he's gotta' live his own life, he's a man Bonnie, he will make it and if not, he was a good man," Drew explains to his daughter with his arms wrapped around her shoulders, but she ignores his every word and breaks from his loving grasp. She doesn't bother to look back down at her father before she runs off and grabs her mount, completely blurring from Drew's line of vision up the road. Amos hurries to Mr. Macfarlane's side and helps him stand and Drew is quiet, watching the dust settle.

"I will go after her Mr. Macfarlane, don't worry," Amos tells Drew moments before leaving his side to retrieve a horse from the corral. Mr. Macfarlane feels empty inside, he can go chase after her but he doesn't, his body is growing weaker by the day and if only Bonnie knew, he knows she wouldn't have left like that. He simply stares off into the distance and walks forward, not caring where his sore legs take him for the time being.

 **...**

Bonnie has traveled miles after miles and she still hasn't found any sign of John. She feels a sudden heat wave roll over her and she looks up ahead and quickly spots a cactus; she's lost in the middle of Cholla Springs. Bonnie is clearly out of her own mind right now, why can't she just stop for a moment and listen to her father? Wild coyotes and skunks pass her by and the heat only gets worse the longer she remains in place; the clouds up above rumble and that's the first sign of a storm.

Her painted mount whinnies after the second crack of thunder and she fears she won't make it home during the storm. Bonnie takes a quick look around to her right and then does the same to the left and before going onwards, she looks behind her; not a single soul in sight so she lightly kicks her mount into a gallop and she continues riding forward.

Bonnie can see up ahead that the clouds have turned into a dark grey mess and moments after realizing how bad the storm is turning out to be, Bonnie is startled by the loud, earth shattering crack of thunder and is suddenly thrown off her horse. She falls hard onto the desert floor and she can hear her horse galloping away; the woman opens her eyes and one drop of rain turns into thousands, millions of little drops of rain as she lies there, trying to come up with a good reason for her being stranded out here. Maybe her father was right, maybe John Marston can take care of himself and maybe he'll make it or maybe not; only John can make that decision.

 **...**

This is the beginning chapter to a very good story I have in mind, I hope you readers enjoy it!


	2. Chapter 2

The day grows hotter and more humid during the storm and Drew worries about his daughter. Amos hasn't returned back to the ranch with her riding along side him and the only thing Drew can do to relieve the awful pain for now is to throw back a few glasses of brandy. He knows it's not the best thing to do in his situation but he does it anyway; he doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, he can hardly even walk. The only thing he can do is continue to drink.

 **...**

Young Jack looks out the window of the doctor's office where his mother is staying and stares into the center of the dark clouds. Abigail hasn't made one sound since the shooting and Jack is still dumbfounded as a cow that the familiar shooter didn't aim the gun at him; Jack knows who the man is who hurt his mother. The old farmer who came to their aid was Bernard Flynn, he had heard the gun shots and came riding to their ranch on Beecher's Hope. Jack is a very lucky young man and he offered the old man all the money he had on him just out of gratitude; Bernard didn't take the boy's money but they both now have a good friend in each other.

The storm only gets louder and more powerful and Jack can only wonder where his father could be. He can't wait to see the look on his father's face when he tells him about the old man at the farm; Bernard had saved his mother from dying from her wounds, he paid for the doctor visit and everything and Jack knows there is no way he can ever repay the old man.

Dr. Nathaniel enters the office, his body dripping wet from head to toe. The man removes his damp hat and sets it on the counter near the register and he turns to the young boy. "How is your mother doin' son?" the man asks, taking a look at the woman on the bed. Jack moves away from the window and looks up at the man. "She hasn't said a word yet," Jack responds to the older man and takes a quick peek at the bloodied patches wrapped around his mother's body.

Dr. Nathaniel nods his head and takes a seat behind the counter, looking through the window beside him. "Storms gettin' pretty bad, where's your father young man?" the man asks out of worry, knowing that he's a busy man who can't keep an eye on the boy forever. Jack looks over at the man and then back at his mother. "I don't know for sure mister, he could be anywhere," the young teenager says back to Dr. Nathaniel and scoots close to his mom planting himself down on the wet floor. The man directs his eyes over to the clock and picks up his hat from the counter. "I have an idea, come with me," the doctor says out loud to the boy and Jack perks up immediately.

He follows the man out into the pouring rain and the man mounts a dark horse outside of the office. Jack gives the doctor a confused stare before Dr. Nathaniel motions for Jack to grab a hold of his hand. "Come on son, I know a place where you will be safe, trust me," the friendly Dr. Nathaniel insists with a smile and Jack grabs his hand and is carefully pulled up into the saddle.

"Now hold on, it's goin' to be a bumpy ride," the man tells Jack and the young boy puts his arms around the doctor's waist seconds before the horse jumps into a gallop.

 **...**

John pulls back on the wet reins and his mount stops with a snort. The man is soaked in the warm rain and he jumps off his horse and almost slips in the wet mud and grass as he runs towards his ranch. He knows she's back in Armadillo but what about his boy, he heard nothing about his young son; maybe he was just too caught up in Abigail's situation to even notice a word about Jack. He keeps on running though and calls out for his son.

In the distance the thunder continues to crack and the grey sky lights up from all the blinding flashes of lightning. "Jack!" he calls out again until he can no longer talk from a raw throat. John makes it to the porch of the house and slips and falls over the threshold of the front door. The house is a mess, books tossed all over, lamps shattered, bullet shells scattered about and the blood, the blood is what makes his stomach turn painfully. He could have prevented this from happening, he didn't need that corn from the MacFarlanes, he needed to stay home and protect them but he didn't.

John doesn't get up from where he has fallen, he remains on his stomach and buries his face into his hat sobbing hard. He has failed Abigail as a husband and his son as a father; he's lost his boy, he will never get to see that boy's face again. John cries hard and the storm continues.

 **...**

It's dark now but the storm hasn't yet ceased to tear through the air. Bonnie continues to hide herself from the storm and the dangers outside in a tight space in the hills. She's soaked to the bone and she's stuck here until the storm stops but who knows when that will be. No protection, she was not in her right mind back at the ranch, so it's her own fault she's in this dangerous situation now.

Bonnie thinks a lot about her father, thinks about how she treated him back at the ranch and she wishes she can take all of that back. She has no horse, only her two working legs; the young woman takes a quick look around at her surroundings and she finds a dull silver blade without a handle. She picks it up and sees the dried blood stained on it and she makes a run for it from the little space she held herself inside, running the way she had come from. John is on her racing mind so is her father; she needs to start thinking rationally now, she can't worry about Mr. Marston any more, she has to make it back to the ranch alive.

What the young rancher doesn't know is that she has been watched all along by a pair of vicious eyes. She keeps on running until she meets a large boulder to lean on so she can regain her strength and her breath. The humidity doesn't help her in her journey to make it back home and it takes her a couple minutes longer to catch her breath and that's when she hears the cock of a rifle and turns to meet the barrel of that said rifle.

The darkness shields the unnamed man's face but with each strike of lightening she manages to make out his wet filthy face. A cattle rustler, the attire catches her attention and if she remembers correctly he's part of the Bollard Twins gang. "Get yer' hands up lady!" the man warns Bonnie and she does as she's told because she's no ignorant woman.

Bonnie raises her hands high and tries her best to hide the blade in her folded up sleeve without letting it slip from her wet fingers. The man watches all the little movement coming from her and draws himself closer.

He makes an evil face and removes one hand from his rifle to retrieve the weapon from Bonnie's grip. It's easy to take it from her and he slides it into his mushy pocket. Bonnie remains quiet as the man uses his free gloved hand to check her for anything else she might be hiding. The woman wiggles when he touches her and he snickers. "Hah, I know you, yer' that MacFarlane girl who got 'napped by Bill Williamson, that Williamson ain't the smartest man fer' lettin' a girl like you get away so easily," the dark haired man says with a grin as he reaches out like a snake and grabs her arm. Bonnie groans and tries to fight him off her but he's much stronger than he looks.

"Yer' comin' with me girl," he tells her with a toothy smile, forcing her ahead of him. The man whistles for his mount and it comes trotting from the right. It's a black mount and with every violent sound the storm creates the horse just remains as still as a rock. "Now you either listen to me and get on the horse or I hogtie you and I put you on the horse, yer' choice lady?" the hardly familiar man warns the woman again, pointing the barrel of the rifle into her stomach, pushing it into her.

Bonnie swallows and gives him a mean look but she climbs up onto the horse, waiting for the unfamiliar man to jump up. He rocks the horse from side to side as he hops up into the stirrups and he looks over his shoulder at the woman;

"Now that weren't so hard," he teased and chuckled loudly, kicking his horse into a sprint. The young rancher doesn't bother to hold onto the man, she can hold onto the sides of the horses' hind quarters if she feels like she is about to fall over. The man is silent on the ride into the darkness. Bonnie wonders about her father and John even more than she had earlier. She isn't worried about her own safety, she's worried about her father and John.

 **...**

Dr. Nathaniel and Jack finally arrive at their destination. Jack isn't well aware of where he is but he does his best to trust the man and quickly dismounts the horse. The doctor looks down at him from his mount and jumps down, and he tells the young man to follow him. Jack does not recognize this place but it is such a beautiful ranch, large corral, spacious stables and a large collection of cattle to last the owners all year.

"We are at the MacFarlane's ranch young boy, here you will be looked after and be given food to eat," Dr. Nathaniel inquires the young teenager as they make their way up the dirt road into the lawn of a lovely home. The older man walks up to the front door and knocks a couple times. No answer, but after a couple more times the door opens to an older gentleman, much older than Dr. Nathaniel who seems to be stumbling over his own two feet with the smell of alcohol radiating off of him. The doctor seems very dumbfounded at the sight of a drunk Mr. MacFarlane but the older man invites the two inside with a wild wave of his hand.

"Mr. MacFarlane, are you alright sir?" Dr. Nathaniel asks with a quizzical after already figuring out that he's drunk but why? Jack stands by the doctor trying to keep himself from getting too curious of the lovely interior. Drew wobbles a bit still as he tries to sit himself down on the couch of the family room but all he does is hold his head down in shame.

The doctor sits down beside him and sets his soaked hat down onto the man's table. "What is the matter Mr. MacFarlane?" the younger man asks again and Drew looks up from his hands at the doctor with a face wet with tears. "My Bonnie is missin', one of our ranch hands went after her but he has not yet returned and I'm worried 'bout her safety," the older ranch owner admits with a crack in his voice; Dr. Nathaniel is very familiar with the MacFarlane's and he's very fond of that Bonnie of his but where in the world would she have gone when there is such a terrible storm roaming the earth?

Jack steps away from the two men and takes very good notice of the large book shelf in the same room, reading each dusty cover carefully. "Well Mr. MacFarlane, you shouldn't worry, I believe you will see your daughter again, I know it!" the doctor insists and pats Drew on the back with a nervous smile on his face. Drew doesn't look over at the man, he just shakes his head and drops it back down into his hands.

Before Dr. Nathaniel leaves the house, Drew asks; "Whose the boy?" with one hand on his forehead and the other gripping his knee tightly. Jack is too distracted by the collection of books; Dr. Nathaniel coughs and points over to the boy; "Well Mr. MacFarlane, he was givin' to me by an old fellow by the name of Bernard, and so was the boy's mother sir," the younger doctor speaks, coughing nervously again into his hand.

"Come over here son," Dr. Nathaniel says softly and Jack takes his eyes from the books for a moment to listen to the man.

He walks over to the familiar man and the two stare down at Mr. MacFarlane, who stands up to scan his eyes over the young fellow. "Who is your mother boy?" Drew asks the young boy who only stares back at him, arms at his sides.

"My mother is Abigail sir, Abigail Marston," Jack answers politely and the second the name 'Marston' comes out of the boy's mouth Drew can't help but growl in disgust and anger. "Marston, that Marston boy is what caused my Bonnie to run like hell!" Drew spits at Dr. Nathaniel, pointing at the front door, and not at the boy because how is he supposed to know anything about the MacFarlane's.

Dr. Nathaniel backs up and calms the older man down. "H-his mother has been shot several times Mr. MacFarlane and I can't have him in my office right now, would you mind havin' him for dinner?" the younger man asks very politely, hands out in front of him. Jack looks up at Drew and he just can't say no, especially when it's raining bullets outside.

"Yes, yes Dr. Nathaniel," Drew says to the younger man, waving his hand at him. The doctor nods his head and grabs his wet hat from the table. He looks over at Jack and pats him on the shoulder just before leaving. Jack watches him leave but he turns back to face Drew who takes a seat back on the couch behind him. "Are you hungry boy?" Drew asks the young Marston who goes back to looking at the books. He shakes his head while tracing the spines of the several books. Drew just leans back into the couch and closes his eyes, waiting for the front door to open.

 **...**

Well, I am absolutely hooked on my own story and I hope that you readers are as well!


	3. Chapter 3

The storm hasn't stopped for one minute; it's been pouring and pouring for as long as Bonnie can remember. Her long journey with this stranger has finally come to an end when she sees tents, lanterns and strange folk walking about up ahead. The man enters the hideout and the sound of music can be heard. These filthy men don't mind the rain; Bonnie can see some men playing harmonicas and others strumming rusty washboards with sticks on their laps.

"You make a run fer' it, I'll shoot, got it?" the dark haired cattle rustler warns the young rancher again and she nods her head, waiting for her cue to dismount the horse. She watches him dismount carefully and he grabs his rifle pointing it at her again.

"Come on now," he says to the victim and she does as she's told. A couple men from the gang huddle around the pair; some snicker and some call her awful names. She's not bothered by this whatsoever, what she is afraid of is them putting their hands on her. "Got me a new lady, ain't she pretty fella's?" the fellow pointing the rifle at her proudly bragss with a wicked smile and Bonnie can only let her eyes wander all around her. She's wet and becoming very cold; the man stops pointing his rifle at her and holsters it onto his back instead.

He shoes the others away with a few flicks of his wrist so he can get a better look at the woman. Bonnie finally begins to recognize the man's face and she gives him a bitter look. Maurice Sweet is the fellow's name, he's definitely not the worst of the Bollard gang but he's not the best either.

"Yer' a real beauty, how come ladies like you don't wanna' man like me, huh?" Maurice raises his voice a little as he nears the woman, looking her directly in the eyes. Bonnie can no longer hide her shivering so she lets her arms drop at her sides and glares at the man standing before her.

"You ain't a real man!" Bonnie spits at the cattle rustler and fortunately for her Maurice doesn't retaliate. He simply assumes she doesn't know how she feels about him just yet; he smiles and reaches out to grab her arm. He grabs her hard so she doesn't slip away and he pulls her very close until she can smell him. The young rancher furrows her brows and fights her way away from the man. A strange growl of disapproval escapes his lips but he doesn't do anything to harm the woman.

"I know that Marston fella', you like 'em dontcha', he ain't what you call 'a real man' neither lady," Maurice speaks as if he has the ability to read her mind and it gives her a bad case of the 'goosebumps'; he gives her a nasty grin, revealing to her a few rotted and missing teeth and she wants so dearly to look the other way but she doesn't.

Bonnie doesn't say a word to the unlawful man; "I know a lotta' 'bout you Ms. MacFarlane, have fer' a while now, yer' so soft on that bounty hunter, but you know, I will treat you better than he ever could," Maurice's deep voice dies down and suddenly turns into something very intimate and Bonnie turns to leave or run, which ever her mind is telling her to do but he grabs her arm again. The rain soaks and chills her to the bone and she can easily become sick in this kind of weather. Maurice pulls her towards him again and she groans in disgust as her palms crash into his wet, soggy chest.

How in the world does this man know who she is, how could he possibly know anything about her? "Let's getcha' outta' the rain," the older man insists and leads her by the arm to where ever he is about to take her. Bonnie makes a strange face and she pulls back, attempting to release his grip from her but he holds onto her tightly.

She misses her father, she misses him so dearly. She's been a fool to ignore her father and now here she is, in the hands of an ignorant yet dangerous man.

 **...**

Amos has finally returned to the ranch but unfortunately without lovely Bonnie MacFarlane at his side. He's traveled all around the territory and has found no sign of her. He's going to have to tell Drew MacFarlane about Bonnie before it gets too late. He kicks his mount into a little trot through the rain up to the MacFarlane's fence and he dismounts quickly. Amos runs up to the front door and knocks more than a few times. Young Jack takes notice of the poundings at the front door and sets the book down he's been reading; Drew has been knocked out for quite some time now and Jack peeks out of the window before opening the door.

"Mr. Mr. MacFarlane...who are you boy?" Amos asks, immediately hit by the hand of confusion. He removes his dripping hat and holds it at his side as the two strangers meet. Jack closes the door behind Amos and he gives him his name;

"Yer' a Marston, John Marston must be yer' father," Amos states the obvious and Jack nods his head in agreement. He heads back over to the chair near Mr. MacFarlane and picks up the book, reading from where he left off. Amos watches the boy and can't really figure out how a boy like him is the child of Mr. Marston's. He then looks over at Drew passed out on the couch and decides it will be best to leave him alone until the storm passes;

"Well, have a goodnight Jack," Amos says to the boy in a very friendly manner and he exits the house. Jack doesn't watch the man leave from the window, he's too caught up in the story he's reading.

 **...**

John wakes up from a sudden crack of thunder and finds his hat smashed from where his head lay. His face aches and so does his back; he carefully stands up and leaves Beecher's Hope without a word. He whistles for his mount and the minute it comes galloping to John, he grabs the wet reins and hops right into the saddle, kicking it into full on run. He's got to see Abigail, he can't let her be alone in this kind of weather and he is definitely not going to let her die alone if that happens to be Abigail's cruel fate.

At the speed he's been riding, it doesn't take long for John to make it to Armadillo; he hitches his horse near the saloon and runs down the dirt road to the doctor's office. When he makes it inside the room, he drops to his knees and touches Abigail's soft face. He anxiously scans her body and sees where she's been shot. She's been shot way too many times and she's lucky to even be breathing right now. Tears stain John's rugged face as fresh ones begin to roll down;

"Oh Abigail, I should've been there darlin', I should've protected you and Jack," John speaks to her with a frown spread wildly across his features as he leans forward to kiss her cheek. Abigail doesn't feel too cold but she's not nearly warm enough as she usually is.

Dr. Nathaniel arrives in a hurry and looks surpised to see John holding his wive's face. "Mr. Marston, I have really bad news sir..." the younger man has a noticable hitch in his voice and John tries to drown him out but it doesn't work; Dr. Nathaniel touches the man's shoulder but John swings around as fast as a cougar and grabs the unsuspecting man by the throat. It takes John a couple minutes to realize what he has done.

He lets the poor fool go and looks back over at his deceased wife. He's pissed, he's sick and he's hurting so bad. "Ab-Abigail...Abigail.." John repeats softly, he continues to say her name over and over until he's no longer willing to say another word. She's gone.

 **...**

I can't believe how quickly I can update and I am getting so hooked on my plot so I will be updating like crazy!


	4. Chapter 4

The storm has finally begun to stop and the pouring rain is nothing more than light rain droplets and the crackling thunder fades away into a low rumble over the horizon. Bonnie takes a peek out from the largest tent of the many more that covers this particular part of land and gazes up at the black sky painted in stars. The clouds are gone and the rain ends; Maurice stands up from the spring mattress and lays an exceptionally gentle hand over the young woman's shoulder. The second she feels the unexpected touch from her capturer Bonnie spins around and faces him with a pounding heart beat. The outlaw watches her beautiful face tighten into something awfully ugly and he takes a step back, smirking.

"I ain't gonna' hurt you but I gotcha' some dry clothes, you look chilly," the dark haired man says to her and picks up the shirt and jeans, handing them over to the woman just before leaving the tent. Bonnie is very confused and slightly afraid of the unpredictable man but he's offered her personal space so she can change, what kind of outlaw would do that for a young woman such as herself?

Making sure nobody is lurking around outside the tent, Bonnie stands up and she begins to peel off the wet form-fitting work clothing. She kneels over and unlaces her boots just before pulling them off her aching feet and starts working on her bottom half. The woman leaves her hardly soaked undergarments on and picks up the stained long sleeved work shirt from the pile at her feet. The size of the shirt has definitely been tailored for a man but she puts it up over her head anyway. Pulling the bottom of the shirt so that it is on all the way, Bonnie picks up the pair of patched Levi Strauss jeans and carefully slides one leg in at a time. Her hips aren't wide enough for the jeans but lucky for her, her capturer returns with a tin cup of liquids unknown to Bonnie and looks her up and down, snickering to himself at the sight of her in men's clothing.

The rancher woman furrows her brows and smacks the tin cup out of the man's hand and she watches the warm milk spill into a messy puddle onto the fur covered ground. Maurice hadn't been expecting such an attack and he retaliates, grabbing Bonnie by the shirt.

Bonnie groans but not out of fear. Maurice snakes his fingers around her throat and applies some pressure. He's surely capable of putting the fear of god in this woman, but she's not going to crack so easily. The both of them make strong eye contact and Bonnie makes an ugly face again. The outlaw growls deep within his chest and applies even more pressure to her throat causing her to choke a bit.

"What did I ever do to you, woman?!" the dark haired outlaw spits in the woman's face and he watches her flinch, applying more and more pressure until she can't breathe and she uses her own hands to claw at his. He snarls and shows some of his teeth like some kind of wild animal and minutes before the woman falls unconscious, Maurice lets go of her and picks up the tin cup from the ground.

There is surely going to be light bruising. "I'm headin' out to fetch you a pair of clothes that fit you right so don't you even think 'bout runnin', or you gonna' have hungry men on you like flies on cow shit," the dark haired man crudely threatens the woman and it does strike some fear into her but she's smart enough to stay right where she stands; this hideout is full of dangerous men. Maurice spits out a wad of chew just before leaving; in his return, a blonde haired fellow steps inside the tent with a grin on his sun-burnt skin and a tin cup similar to Maurice's.

Bonnie grabs the waist of the jeans and holds them in place as she takes a couple steps back further into the tent. The man sees her guard and the look in her eyes and smiles, handing out the tin cup. "Here, Maurice wants you to have it, it's some milk," the man insists and Bonnie looks down at the cup and takes it as quickly as she can from his filthy hand. They almost meet full eye contact until Bonnie breaks it by grabbing an empty amber bottle sitting on the wooden crate in the corner. The man chuckles and raises his hands in the air; he tilts his head and steps forward.

"What are you goin' to do with that, little lady?" the cattle rustler asks with a toothy grin smeared across his chapped lips, seeing the sudden fear in the young woman. Bonnie raises the bottle and attempts to smash it over the man's head but he's too quick and he has her belly faced on the ground in no time. She struggles a little bit but gives up when he clearly has the upper hand, bending her arm painfully behind her back. The man shimmies himself closer to the woman and she jumps upon contact when his knee slides in between the back of her thighs. He leans forward over the woman and whispers into her ear;

"Maurice don't have to find out 'bout this little act of yours if you are kind 'nough to let me have a kissie poo," the blonde man bursts out into a sudden laughing fit and he stands up and kicks dirt at her. "I don't want no kiss from a filthy woman like you, now drink your milk," the man angrily taunts her and finally leaves the tent. Bonnie is still belly-faced on the ground, thinking about what that man could've done to her and what she would've done to him. She thinks about her father and about John; she's been such a foolish woman lately.

 **...**

John can't fully process what had just happened, his brain is so full of confusion and anger that he's not functioning properly. Dr. Nathaniel cautiously puts a caring hand over John's shoulder again and this time the man doesn't lash out. "I'll give you some time to mourn sir," the kind man offers the burnt out bounty hunter, slowly removing his hand from his shoulder. John doesn't say anything, he remains kneeled beside his wife's side, looking over her pale eyelids and her cracked lips.

Dr. Nathaniel leaves the office and John can let some more painful tears roll down his face. It hurts, his chest hurts, his mind hurts, everything hurts. He'd known Abigail for several years, they have been through every possible thing together and now here he is, all alone with nothing. How could this have happened, he had finally been reunited with his wife and child and this is how he is repaid? Sure he's killed many bad people but for what? John stands up tall and looks over his wife one last time before leaving the office. He wipes the unwanted wetness from his dirty face and heads on up to the saloon.

He walks on through the double swing doors and meets the eyes of the brunette middle aged bartender. The man eyes John curiously and gives him a glass of whiskey on the house. "Life is one hell of a ride ain't it mister?" the man says to the widowed man and they meet eyes. John looks down into his glass and grabs it. "Mhm," John mumbles and throws back that fine shot of whiskey like he's done so many times before. The bartender pours the man another glass but this time John reaches out and takes the bottle from the man's hand. The brunette man opens his mouth to say something harsh, but nothing comes out, he just lets the man run off with the bottle.

Many of the folk here tonight are too drunk to even remember how they got here in the first place so it's a load off the bartender's mind. He's not even sure if he wants to bill that poor, sorrowful man, at least he only took the bottle and not his life.

 **...**

Jack slides the book away back into the bookshelf and he returns to his spot in the leather upholstered chair. Drew Macfarlane is out cold on the couch beside him and he doesn't think about waking him. The storm has stopped and maybe now Jack can return to his mother and see how she is recovering.

Seconds after he gets up from the chair, Jack hears a loud crash coming from the top floor. He's surprised by the sound but he's not scared; he's got a pocket knife his father has given to him hooked at the waistband of his pants. He's not really sure if he should go and inspect it but he quickly decides against himself and makes his way up the staircase. The closer he gets to the top step, the louder and the more sounds and broken glass he hears; there is definitely someone up here.

His heart is beating fast but this can be his one chance to show his father that he's a man just like him. He makes it to the top step and looks around cautiously, holding his knife tightly in his hand. There are four rooms he can make out in the poorly light hallway so he attempts to sneak into the very first room, only to be knocked off his feet quicker than he ever thought possible by something definitely bigger than himself. His knife falls out of his hand and into the room, but whomever it was that had been in here is gone now. Jack curses quietly to himself at the light pain in his back and stands up, searching for his knife.

When he enters the bedroom to retrieve his knife, Jack sees the broken window, clothing sprawled all around the floor, perfume bottles broken on the nightstand and the vanity mirror smashed in the center as if this break in was a personal matter. The dresser in the corner of the bedroom looks damaged and badly broken into. Jack can't help but feel bad for this happening. The poor old man is downstairs in a drunken mess and here is Jack, defenseless, helpless.

The young boy makes his way over to the staircase and when he does, he sees that the front door has been opened. He let that unlawful man or woman break into this lovely house and get away with it, what is Jack supposed to do now, wait around for it to happen again? The young Marston boy makes sure the old man is safe and still breathing before leaving the house. Jack has locked the door from the inside and closes the door, peering out into the dark distance. He needs a horse and he needs to see his mother before anything else can go terribly wrong.


End file.
